Electric Cars
Forbes reports in How One Chevrolet Dealer Is Selling 25 Volts a Month that the key to selling the Volt is understanding the nuances of the product and educating the consumer. Salespersons at Serra Chevrolet in Southfield, Michigan use an excel spreadsheet to analyze and demonstrate the cost of purchase and operation of the Volt, compared to conventional cars.

Natural Gas Vehicles
The San Diego Metropolitan Transportation System is buying 53 compressed natural gas (CNG) buses this year. The buses are built by New Flyer, a US-Canadian venture, and the storage tanks are guaranteed for 20 years.

Kwik Trip Sets Up 3-State Natural Gas Fuelling Infrastructure – This retailer has about 400 stores in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

Kwik Trip’s ownership and management holds a strong belief that Natural Gas is the vehicle fuel of the future. The company currently operates over twenty natural gas vehicles (NGVs), from light duty vehicles to heavy duty class 8 vehicles… Through Kwik Trips own anchor fleet, they will test, promote and educate Kwik Trip consumers about the benefits of Natural Gas as a vehicle fuel.

Frito-Lay Pledges Shift to Natural Gas Trucking. Frito-Lay is buying 67 CNG trucks for long-haul routes and says it intends to switch to predominantly nat gas. They say they’re saving $2.50 per gallon compared to diesel fuel and reducing greenhouse emissions 23 percent. They’re using 8.9 litre Cummins-Westport engines that can run on CNG, LNG, or biomethane. Frito-Lay also has a fleet of plug-in electric trucks.

Converting to alternative fuels is slow process, but it looks like cost-conscious corporations may be leading the way.

• The state of development and costs of various technologies;
• What constraints exist in developing AFVs – both nationwide and in Pennsylvania;
• What are the appropriate private sector, utility and Commission roles in fostering the economic development and the expansion of the necessary infrastructure;
• What specific transportation sector markets (e.g. private, commercial, mass transit, etc.) hurdles exist;
• What impact will AFV development have on the operation and reliability of both our power grid and natural gas supply system; and
• What are the specific local, state and federal regulatory needs required to support the growth of AFVs.

“The Commission is particularly interested in exploring how we can foster policies and regulatory frameworks that support investments in natural gas and electric vehicles and their required infrastructure.”

Details for the forum are available at the PUC website.

Given her abundance of natural gas, and the inability Congress to pass pro-natural gas vehicle legislation at the federal level (HR 1380), it will be interesting to see if Pennsylvania can take a lead in building the natural gas vehicle market.

The advocacy group Natural Gas Vehicles for America reports there are about 112,000 natural gas-powered vehicles (NGVs) in the United States and over 13 million worldwide. Roughly 70% of all NGVs in the world are found in five countries: Argentina, Brazil, India, Iran and Pakistan (IEA).

The biggest impediment to more NGV use in Europe and North America appears to be the lack of a broadly distributed vehicle fueling infrastructure. This needs to change. Writing in the Financial Times, economist Martin Wolf recently put it this way: (emphasis added)

“The world will be vulnerable to high oil prices and repeated shocks, so long as supply is stagnant, demand buoyant and unrest likely – in short, so long as it remains as it now is. For the U.S., the best response would be to lower the oil-intensity of its economy, to reduce vulnerability to these shocks.

To “lower the oil-intensity,” we’ll need to develop technology that gives us greater efficiency and cleaner, abundant energy. There are pros and cons to natural gas and individual cases vary, but, compared to petroleum-based transportation fuels, natural gas, in my opinion, has a better triple bottom line:

Environmental:
The Honda Civic GX Compressed Natural Gas was named the 2012 Green Car of the Year. Judges included Carl Pope, Chairman of the Sierra Club; Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council; Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society, and Matt Petersen, president of Global Green USA. Also, Jay Leno noted auto enthusiast…”

Natural gas burns cleaner than petroleum fuels, especially with respect to NOx and particulate pollution. It emits around 20-30 percent less CO2 compared to energy-equivalent petroleum fuels. Natural gas is chemically simpler compared to gasoline, which contains 150-1000 different compounds, including toxic aromatics like benzene. Lighter than, air, natural gas “spills” dissipate into the atmosphere rather than potentially polluting land and water.

On the negative side, natural gas derived from shale by hydrofracturing and horizontal drilling has raised concerns about pollution. Natural gas is a potent greenhouse gas and “phantom leaks” need to be addressed.

Economics
Natural gas prices are lower than they’ve been in a decade. The website altfuelprices.com has an interactive map that shows recent prices for a gallon of gasoline equivalent (gge) sold at fueling stations around the United States. Prices vary, from $0.59 in Pennsylvania to up to $4.00 near New York City, with an average around $1.50.

T. Boone Pickens claims over $1 billion leaves the U.S. each day to buy foreign oil. Redirecting that expense to develop domestic natural gas would generate a lot of economic growth and improve the balance of payments. I trust Martin Wolf’s assessment.

Social Benefits
The benefits to society brought by using more natural gas instead of oil are subject to individual perception. If one has a gas drilling rig next door and doesn’t see any direct benefit, the whole scheme is a nuisance. If one lives on a busy road and has kids bothered by asthma aggravated by diesel exhaust, the natural gas boom is good news. Could we pay less military attention to the Middle East if we didn’t need their oil?

Slow Progress
There is slow, steady progress toward building a natural gas vehicle infrastructure in the U.S. The U.S. Department of Energy’s natural gas fuel locator is one source of information about places to fill up with “nat gas.” To facilitate conversion of diesel trucks to natural gas, a company called Clean Energy is building a network of fueling stations they call the American Natural Gas Highway at Flying-J truck stops across America.

The website NGV Global News is the best I’ve seen for up-to-date news on developments in the nat gas transportation market.

In full disclosure, I’ve done environmental consulting work for energy companies and will likely do so in the future.

Solarsiedlung (Solar settlement), Freiburg, Germany

Despite the high up-front costs of re-building a national power infrastructure, largely decentralized and based on renewable energy sources, Germany remains Europe’s economic powerhouse.

In 2007, the European Parliament made a written declaration to establish a Third Industrial Revolution ”through partnership with committed regions and cities, SMEs (small and medium-size enterprises) and civil society organizations.”

 With all of the financial trouble going on in parts of Europe, and Germany’s central role in shoring up fiscal problems in Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain, it would be easy to understand if Germany postponed its ambitious energy plans. But that’s not the case. Germany is pushing forward.

The private consultant and chief architect of the Third Industrial Revolution is Jeremy Rifkin. Mr. Rifkin is president of the Foundation on Economic Trends, which “examines the economic, environmental, social and cultural impacts of new technologies introduced into the global economy.” According to Rifkin, industrial revolutions occur when new energy systems converge with emerging communications technology.

During the First Industrial Revolution of the 19th century, steam power made possible the mass production of printed media: books, magazines, newspapers. In the Second Industrial Revolution in the early 20th century, automotive technology converged with telephone communications, which led to greater sprawl and migration to suburbs and rural areas.

In the current Third Industrial Revolution, Rifkin sees renewable energy and internet-based smart grid technology radically transforming the production and distribution of clean energy.

Here are “The 5 Pillars” of the Third Industrial Revolution:

1. Expanded generation and use of renewable energy through wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and wave power. The EU has formally committed to a 20 percent reduction in CO2 emissions and 20 percent renewable energy production by 2020.

2. Buildings as power plants. Distributed power strategies are taken to their ultimate potential by shifting energy generation to individual buildings. Homes, schools, offices and factories will become part of a network of renewable power plants. The EU has committed to converting all 191 million buildings in Europe to power producers of renewable energy.

3. Hydrogen storage of electricity. To maximize the potential of renewable energy, storage methods are needed to ensure the conversion of the intermittent supplies into a reliable asset. Some storage capacity can be provided by batteries and other methods, but the greatest opportunity comes from the use of hydrogen.

4. Development of the intergrid. The smart intergrid is made up of three components. Minigrids allow all-sized power generators to produce and use their renewable energy off-grid. Smart metering produces a bi-directional grid where individual users can buy and sell their power to the grid. Embedding sensing devices in every electrical appliance will allow constant reading and management of the demands on the grid and development of true demand pricing.

5. Plug-in ready cars. Development of an infrastructure that supports electric plug-in and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles — both their construction and fueling.

Well ahead of schedule, twenty percent of Germany’s power now comes from renewable sources. Rifkin talks more about the Third Industrial Revolution in a video available at the Renaissance Society of America.

Photo source: Young Germany.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) generally has authority over interstate pipeline projects, however, given the pipeline crosses an international border, the Department of State has to sign off. In addition to sending products from Canadian tar sands, the Keystone XL would also pick up domestic oil from Montana and North Dakota’s Bakken formation at a pipeline intersection in Baker, MT.

In August, Nebraska Republican Governor Dave Heineman wrote a letter to Secretary Clinton and President Obama urging them to reject the pipeline’s permit application, citing concern for protecting the Ogallala aquifer (map). In November, in response to resistance from Heineman and environmental advocates, the administration announced the delay.

Extensive Pipeline Network
Those who hope to protect the Ogallala Aquifer from potential contamination by oil pipelines are too late. There are already numerous pipelines crossing it, especially in Oklahoma and Texas. This map (click for larger view) shows pipelines carrying oil (green), natural gas (red), and “products” (blue) such as gasoline, propane, and ethylene. Two petroleum pipelines, C18 and C19, already cross east-west through Nebraska and the Ogallala Aquifer.

Is the Pipeline Necessary?
Aside from the groundwater protection concern, many oppose additional oil infrastructure and advocate for cleaner energy. Natural Gas Vehicles for America is a trade organization that aggressively advocates for fueling vehicles with natural gas or hydrogen. According to their website, there are currently 112,000 natural gas vehicles (NGV) in the US and over 13 million worldwide.

The excellent energy blog The Oil Drum ran an interesting article in 2009 on the feasibility of converting all our vehicles to natural gas. The prospects are good, but installing conversion equipment on cars and trucks is expensive. It turns out one of the pricey aspects of the process is an outrageous permit fee the EPA imposes, allegedly at the behest of the “gasoline lobby,” on mechanic shops that would retrofit vehicles to burn natural gas. The permit fees greatly add to the cost.

Nebraska Going Green?
This year, Nebraska opened a new compressed natural gas (CNG) filling station in Omaha, the only CNG station between Denver and Chicago. Two more CNG stations are planned, one in Lincoln and another in Omaha. One will be operated by Omaha’s public utility, Metropolitan Utility Division, which is a co-sponsor of ngvc.org’s website.

Other Transport Options
Other options exist for moving oil and bitumen (the stuff from tar sands) to refineries. New rail terminals are getting built in North Dakota and barges are carrying crude down the Missouri River. With oil at about $100 per barrel, folks will find ways to get it to market.

Background
Here in the United States, clearly, any federal legislation that seeks to reduce carbon emissions, such as by taxation or carbon trading, has no chance of getting through congress. Fortunately, people think differently around the world and climate science can still find a “foot-hold.”

In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the Kyoto Protocols and United Nations Marrekesh Accords established “flexible mechanisms” to incentivise reductions, including market-based carbon trading. Here is a list of carbon trading systems passed by other governments:

California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32) includes cap-and-trade.
Western Climate Initiative
EU Emissions Trading System (30 participating nations).
New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme
Australia’s Carbon Reduction Laws

Critics of the power of emissions trading have a problem called history. Smithsonian has a good summary of sulfur dioxide cap-and-trade here. Sulfur-dioxide emissions trading was written into the Clean Air Act in 1990. Economist magazine called it “the greatest green success story of the past decade.”

Measuring Soil Carbon Pools: The TG/DTG Method

Soil carbon sequestration has been proposed as one option available to the coal industry to help offset its carbon dioxide emissions. Coal mine reclamation, including soil replacement and re-vegetation, offers a setting where the “new soil” can be evaluated for it’s carbon content, then monitored over time to record and track the accumulation of “new” carbon. Over time, and under other favorable environmental factors, the soil may accumulate enough organic matter to more closely resemble the soil that existed before the mine.

Sally Maharaj and Chris Barton, along with other researchers at the University of Kentucky,* wanted to find a way to distinguish “new” carbon accumulated in the soil as a result of recent biological activity, from “old” carbon stored in coal fragments and carbonate minerals present in the mine spoils used to make “soil” during mine reclamation. A short summary of their research project, including details on methods, is available here.

Basically, three carbon pools: “new” soil organic matter from recent biomass, “old” carbon in coal particles, and “old” carbon contained in carbonate minerals were heated to the point of pyrolysis, i.e., thermo-chemical decomposition in the absence of oxygen. The three groups reached pyrolysis at distinct termperature ranges:

“New” carbon from recent biomass: 270-395 degrees C;
“Old” carbon from coal: 415-520 degrees C;
“Old” inorganic carbon from carbonates: 700-785 degrees C.

With respect to soil carbon sequestration, TG/DTG answers the question: “how do we measure it?” The technique is simple, although I wonder if, in the interest of technology transfer, it might be simplified even further to a loss-on-ignition test requiring equipment less sophistiated than that used by Mahraj et al.

This carbon accounting method should work for other soils, not just mine reclamation sites. Soil carbon sequestration fits into the broader strategy of restoring and maintaining soil quality. Benefits of soil organic matter include higher plant nutrient availability, better soil structure, less soil erosion, higher water infiltration, less runoff, and greater water holding capacity.

Replacing soil carbon is a good idea. If the world gets serious about carbon trading, the term “land bank” may take on a whole new meaning.

*Reference
Maharaj,S., C.D. Barton, A.D. Karathanasis, H.D. Rowe and S.M. Rimmer. (2007). Distinguishing “new” from “old” organic carbon in reclaimed coal mine sites using thermogravimetry: II. Field validation. Soil Science, 172 (4), 302-312

Related Paper Carbon Sequestration on Surface Mine Lands

Elsewhere around the world, some creative geo-architects are finding some amazing uses for mines. Jessica Drake, who blogs, teaches, does research, and writes from the Australia National University, describes some clever adaptations of mine spaces, including a wedding chapel. (What better way to express depth of committment?)

Here’s the article:
From Mine to Wine: Creative uses for old holes in the ground

Obviously, the measure’s not popular with everyone. Australia mines and uses a lot of coal, even though, as part of the law, there is a lot of money appropriated to support displaced jobs. Scientific American has the story here.

View of Lake Michigan over the dunes at Sleeping Bear Point Trail by Kerry Kelly. (WikiMedia Commons)

Last week saw a coal-ash landslide at the Oak Creek power plant near Milwaukee, and congressional action that would allow a car ferry to dump coal ash in Lake Michigan. Both incidents raise questions about regulatory and permitting processes.

Full disclosure is in order here. To minimize bias, scientists are supposed to be disinterested (not uninterested) in their subjects. I love Lake Michigan. For a kid who grew up in the “Rust Belt-Corn Belt” midwest, Lake Michigan was (and still is) really something special. I don’t like to see it used as a dump.

As for Monday’s WE Energies landslide south of Milwaukee, Dr. Dave Petley posted timely reports here and here, and linked to a good set of photos at the online Milwaukee Journal Sentinal (MJS). Thermo-electric power plants need a lot of cooling water, hence their location on the big lakes. Aside from the tall smoke stacks, these power plants are mostly out of sight. The MJS photo set gives a clear view of just what they are and how close they are to the shore.

The landslide debris contained coal ash used to fill a ravine some fifty years ago. A more complete inventory of lost items, including vehicles, is underway. Floating booms have been deployed and environmental contractors are skimming fuel off the lake.

What triggered the landslide? The site was under construction to update stormwater and air pollution control facilities.

An article by MJS points to lax oversight by Wisconsin regulators. An excerpt:

The Public Service Commission’s 2008 decision approving the project said the agency determined the $900 million pollution control project at the original Oak Creek coal plant was not a project that required either a detailed environmental impact statement or a less exhaustive environmental assessment.

An environmental study could have explored the potential impact of building a storm-water retention pond so close to an ash-filled lake bluff, said Jennifer Feyerherm of the Sierra Club in Madison.

“The whole point of one of these assessments is to identify things that could go wrong and try to mitigate them or decide if that risk is too big,” she said.

In my experience with environmental studies and permitting, geologic hazards in the midwest may be underestimated. Being on the stable craton, seismicity is low and we’re not used to having the ground giving way beneath our feet. The bluffs along Lake Michigan are an exception, though, where gravity and loss of shear strength can modify the landscape in a hurry.

SS Badger: Source WikiMedia Commons

In other news, three U.S. Representatives, all Republicans, slipped an amendment into a Coast Guard Reauthorization Bill that allows the car ferry SS Badger to continue dumping coal ash into Lake Michigan past 2012. The Muskegon Chronicle reported comments from two of the congressmen:

(Rep.) Huizenga said the amendment is an example of getting rid of federal government regulations that threaten small business. (Rep.) Benishek said it’s a way to block “overzealous” federal regulations from threatening the Badger.

The ferry operates for about 150 days per year and generates four tons of ash per day, for an annual ash disposal of 600 tons. Couldn’t a small business be hired to haul the ash away to a proper landfill, run by another small business?

For years, I’ve thought about making the 60-mile (97 km) crossing from Ludington to Manitowoc aboard the Badger, but the fares are too high. At current rates, our minivan and family of five would cost $327 for the four-hour boat ride.